Truth in the Static
by Zaedah
Summary: Eva pulled out her secret weapon, the smile that melted men into puddles. Even the emotionally distant ones.


Story time, my lovely friends. Just a little ditty in an effort to include all MI characters into my universe. Eva's turn…

**Truth in the Static**

_I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up 4 wheel drive,  
carved my name into his leather seats.  
I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights.  
Slashed a hole in all 4 tires.  
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats._

Despite the perpetually bustling activity around her, Eva Rossi was just South of bored. Without a case, there was no media to manipulate. Her office, usually shared by 3 others, was empty. Vacationing employees could hardly keep her company. And getting caught talking to herself might win her a trip to the staff shrink. The NIH was funny about things like that. So she turned to the trusty radio. Antiquated technology that it was, with its broken antenna tip and pre-digital tuning knob, it still mostly worked. If you didn't mind static and could avoid standing in the 'beam.'

She'd missed the first verse of the song, but the chorus was more than enough to get a laugh. Out loud. Oops, she had to watch that too; NIH being funny and all. Having ended a relationship last night, Eva's imagination was fresh with possibilities. There'd been no cheating. Just the opposite, actually, as Mark had taken her out 3 times and was seemingly solely focused on her. A bit too much for her liking, as she'd lost interest halfway through the second date. Last night's meeting was for the expressed purpose of assuring him he was a nice fellow who will make a lucky girl of someone one day. Just not her. Still, had they been an item and had he cheated…

Considering her own internal workings, she thought perhaps she possessed the nerve to carry out the song's chorus. Or at least strongly fantasize. Or…well, maybe vandalism wasn't her forte. Not returning calls while crying into her ice cream was more her thing. Not that she'd been cheated on in her life. That she knew of. Wait...

And when the static-tinged chorus finished the third time, Eva heard a muffled groan at her door. Her boss entered, looking for all the world dismayed by her music choice. Not a country fan?

"Turn that off."

Connor's barked command, the one he reserved for medical underlings, startled her out of her seat. Leaning over her co-worker's desk, she obediently switched channels to an inoffensive news station. She looked up for approval, but he was already shuffling through the large file in his hand. Handing her what she'd need for their next 'rescue from boredom' case, Stephen sighed.

"Thank you." It sounded suspiciously grateful.

Maybe it wasn't the genre, but the subject? "Scenario hits too close to home?" She postulated, before realizing she'd engaged her vocal cords to make that private thought heard.

"Everything but the bat," He muttered, as though she weren't meant to hear it.

What the hell? She'd already been caught daydreaming. Why not press just a little to see if the Connor fortress could be cracked a fraction? While he rifled through the folder, presumably to provide her a contacts list, Eva pulled out her secret weapon, the smile that melted men into puddles. Even the emotionally distant ones.

"Sounds juicy. Do tell." Maybe it was the come-on voice or the near eye batting, but clearly Connor was not completely immune to her charms.

Leaning against the unoccupied desk behind him, Connor rolled his eyes. "The entire cheerleading squad had her convinced I'd been with the president of the drama club."

The rare personal divulgence was fairly unexpected, but now she was downright curious. He hadn't retreated so Eva pushed on.

"Nice car?"

The half smile told her Connor was seeing it in his mind right this very moment. "1970 Camaro with a 396 big block engine. Forest green. Thing of beauty."

"And 'thing of damaged?'"

"Defaced beyond recognition." His lips curled down into the hint of a pout.

Eva could sympathize. Her new Audi got hit in the parking lot last week and the small dent still irked her. "That's wrong. Especially since you were innocent. Stupid rumors."

And it was the pause that did it. He hesitated to defend himself and his poor, defenseless car against the unfair vandalism. Perhaps…the master of perfection, their infallible leader, this paragon of integrity, was not without guilt.

"Right accusation." He conceded, then winced in mild embarrassment. "Wrong girl."

Eva sat stunned. "Not the drama club president?"

Sighing, Connor could only shake his head. "I blame the field hockey uniform. Made it…almost worth it." When her shocked, open mouth expression failed to change, he added, "It was high school." As if that was excuse enough. Maybe it was, she allowed, recalling her occasional dalliances in the janitor's closet.

"So…what did you do? Break up? Press charges? Retaliate?" Still amazed she was getting an actual non-work related conversation out of him, she wasn't quite ready to let the subject go.

"Oh, I got retribution. God, I loved that car." Connor pushed off the desk, and headed to the door. Eva felt bereft of a satisfactory conclusion until he stopped just past the threshold. "But I love a jealous girl more. So I married her."


End file.
